Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Hail Mary...

Well, everyone, it's time to become Catholic and send your babies to Catholic schools. FoxNews examines the success of Catholic schools as they outperform public schools on less money.

Here's my analysis: their teachers are better than me.

It must be true because only about 50% of my students will be proficient on the state exam. Most likely, I am a pathetic excuse for a teacher.

Okay, enough of that. I do believe that Catholic schools, like charter schools, have a greater ability to demand excellence out of their students. There is no excuse making. The student either complies or is asked to leave. When our public schools can do that, then they will succeed.

My wife, a fourth grade teacher, told me a wonderful story today. A student misbehaved in line. She asked the student to return to the classroom, where the student teacher was, and wait for the student teacher to bring her down to lunch. The student did not return to the classroom until the classroom was empty. The student then trashed the room, walked to the principal's office, and complained that my wife wouldn't let her eat lunch. This student has had a few other behavioral problems this year. At a charter or Catholic school, she would be gone; at the public school? We have to get her to pass the test otherwise WE are the failure.

Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

3 Comments:

At 4:45 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, Mr. McNamar,

Your posts point to why SaveOurSchools has formed and we will be taking action to get the word out that America's public schools need to be supported. We have an upcoming Blog Campaign that we would "love" for you to participate in. It takes place this Monday, Valentines Day, and it is called: "I Love Public Education Blog Day"

Everyone who cares about young people cares about our schools. Our best schools nurture our children, make them feel safe, and able to take the risks they need to in order to learn. But our schools are in danger of becoming even more narrowly focused on test preparation, while class sizes rise, and teachers are blamed for the ravages poverty inflicts on their students.

We are responding. We love our schools. We declare Valentine’s Day, 2011, to be I Love Public Education Blog Day. On this day we will write our hearts out, about why it is that public education is so important to us, our children, and our democratic society. If you or your readers will join us and tell why you love public education too, send your comments and posts to saveourschoolsmarch@gmail.com.

Writing will be displayed at the www.SaveOurSchoolsmarch.org website, and will be tweeted with the hashtag #LovePublicEd. We offer the march and events of July 28 to 31st in Washington, DC, as a focal point for this movement, and we ask participants to link to this event, so we can build momentum for our efforts. If your readers wish to repeat this post on their own blog, we would love it!

Thank you!
Kelli Reyes

 
At 5:53 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am a Catholic school teacher, and I have never heard another Catholic school teacher say that his/her public school counterparts are to blame for the problems of the schools. Most of us acknowledge that in many ways your task is much more demanding, and we are grateful that we can enforce more rigorous discipline than the public schools. I like the heading of your post - the Hail Mary is always my opening prayer, and while I don't necessarily beat the drum of bringing prayer back to public schools, it is a great blessing to be able to focus students with the Almighty beyond themselves before starting class. Good luck in all you do - I'll pray for you!

 
At 6:26 AM , Blogger KD said...

I went to Catholic schools for 12 years, my children do not.

In my own unscientific observations of my education vs. the education my kids get..I felt my education was much more grounded in the 3 R's. Teachers gave feedback, and a lot of it...how does one learn without some feedback. Achievement/doing your best was emphasized.

I do have to disagree that private schools of any kind are quick to kick a child out when they don't meet the expected norms. I'm not saying it never happens. However all private schools are dependent on every bit of revenue that comes into the school....kicking a student out and losing that tuition isn't a decision that is made lightly.

 

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